Newsletter - 284 - January 2017

January 2017

Service above self

 Best wishes to all for a healthy and happy New Year

 New meeting arrangements

Our members have agreed that future meetings should be:

1^st Monday of the month – no meeting

2^nd Monday – evening meeting – 5.30 for 6.00

3^rd and 4^th Monday – lunchtime – 12.30 for 1pm

5^th Monday – no meeting although an informal meeting/gathering may from time to time be arranged

 Welcome to new member Roger Johnson

Imminent Activities   

Mon 9^th Jan – Jock Smith will be talking about ‘The last 16 years’

Mon 16^th Jan – Annual Primary Schools Lunch. The speaker is Kate Thomson who has recently retired as Assistant Chief Constable, Police Scotland

Mon 23^rd Jan -Tom Stevenson will be speaking – details not yet available.

Mon 30^th Jan – nothing arranged

Dates for your Diary

Fri 24^th Feb – Burns Supper – now being organized by Ronnie Irving

Thurs 2^nd March – Annual Primary Schools Quiz -4pm

Fri 19^th May – Christian Aid - Bread and Cheese lunch

Sat 27^th May – Mull of Galloway Trail Marathon

Fri 30^th June – Annual AmAm

Recent Events 

Mon 5^th Dec – SGM- including presentation and approval of Annual Accounts and decision about future meetings - see below.

Tues 6^th Dec – Despite poor weather, a very good turnout of members enjoyed an interesting trip to the Dark Sky Observatory, near Dalmellington.

Mon 12^th Dec – evening - Craig Daniel, B of S Branch Manager, provided a very interesting talk about frauds and scams and outlined measures which can be taken against them.

Sat & Sun 17^th & 18^th Dec – Street & Morrisons Collections – see below.

Mon 19^th Dec –  12.30 – Our annual Christmas Lunch was well attended

Mon 26^th Dec and 2^nd January – no meetings

Eric Crone

It is with regret and sadness that I have to advise of the death of past Rotarian Erik Crone. Erik joined Stranraer Rotary in 1992 and only resigned as a member a couple of years ago, as he was moving to Ayr to be nearer his family following the death of his wife. He held many offices in his time as a Rotarian. 

SGM

It was decided that our office bearers for 2017/18, from 1^st July, will be:

President – Neville Wright

Vice President – Ian McIntyre

Treasurer – Henry McFadzean

It was also agreed that our meeting times should change to those outlined above.

Street Collections

The Christmas collections made £542.94 at the street collection and at Morrisons made £379.44 making a total of £922.38. This is certainly not our best collection but maybe the position at Morrisons was not as good as usual. Normally we are at the exit door to catch everybody but this year we were at the end of the tills which is really not as captive. Nevertheless, this will help transform Belmont Old Folks Home's garden area. 

Thanks to all those who participated

Paul Harris Fellowship

This is Rotary’s highest honour and at our Christmas Lunch was presented by President Bob Fryer to Robert Clark and Tom Mitchell.

Robert, who is not a member of the Club, was honoured in appreciation of the tremendous help that he has provided over the years using his civil engineering background to provide technical and practical help with the construction and maintenance of the Rhins of Galloway and Mull of Galloway Trails. Proceeds of his book about local walks have enabled the purchase of several Shelter Boxes.Tom joined Rotary in Largs in 1987 and joined this Club in 1989. He was President in 2001/2 and was Treasurer for 5 years. He has also been involved in many Club activities including issuing this Newsletter since 2003. He has been heavily involved in community affairs including having been a Childrens Panel member for 16 years and, along with fellow Rotarian Gordon Baird, has successfully campaigned to improve the access to treatment for cancer victims.

Donation to Stingrays

President Bob Fryer handed over a cheque for £900 to Kalle Hoad and Emma Walker of our local swimming Club. This will help finance the 7 day  swimming camp which 9 members of the Club are attending in Lanzarote.

Community Service 

A candidate, Margaret Jamieson, has been identified and presentation arrangements are being made.

Rugby        

Our group of supporters and friends made good use of their season tickets to watch Glasgow Warriors last season. All of our group have renewed their season tickets and have been joined by a new supporter bringing us up to 9. A further 2 people have indicated that they may well join us next season. They are not Rotarians -yet!

We had 2 trips to Glasgow in September starting with an exciting victory Saturday 10^th against last season’s finalists Leinster and then lost narrowly to Ulster on Friday 23^rd.

In October we travelled to 2 home games and enjoyed wins against Leicester and Benneton Treviso.

 In November we travelled to the only home game – unfortunately Warriors, without 19 internationalists, lost to Ospreys.

In December we attended 2 home games, with the disappointment against Munster being compensated for by the excellent European win over Racing 92.

Our season ticket holders will again be making their tickets available to Club members for individual matches which they themselves are unable to attend.

Spare tickets are available for the game on Sat 7^th January against Cardiff Blues.

Contact Tom Mitchell if you are interested in making use of any spare tickets.

Press Officer

Members should get in touch with Tom Mitchell, in his role as Press Officer, if they have anything they wish included in the Newsletter or reported in the press. He particularly wishes photographs for publication and/or Club archives.

We have articles in the Free Press and in our District Magazine on a regular basis.

Our websites are

http://rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.php?ClubID=1383

http://www.mullofgallowaytrail.co.uk/

We also have a presence on Facebook

 And finally --------

 Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let every new year find you a better man.

Benjamin Franklin